


When Your Bubble Busts, Let Me Raise You Up

by xLoveMx



Series: You've Gotta Rewrite The Plot [2]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Angst and Fluff, F/F, Future Fic, Gini - Freeform, caswen, gina and nini go on tour, post college AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:14:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22423171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xLoveMx/pseuds/xLoveMx
Summary: The very first production they had ever done together in High School had been plagued by disaster, and it had turned out just fine in the end, so Gina was probably right. They’d be alright in the end and thinking about it now, Nini had a feeling that this was going to end up being the best year of her life.
Relationships: Gina Porter/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Series: You've Gotta Rewrite The Plot [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1609522
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	When Your Bubble Busts, Let Me Raise You Up

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 of the series, enjoy! :)  
> I've also found the post that inspired this, so check it out!  
> https://skaterboybowen.tumblr.com/post/190252972688/gini-au-where-they-travel-together-with-a-theatre

A week had passed since Gina had moved into her guest room, and Nini found that she enjoyed living with the other woman. It was nice to go home together, or to come home to someone already in the apartment.

Nini was a good cook, but it was nothing compared to what Gina could do. Even after a long day of rehearsals she still stood in the kitchen, cooking a delicious meal. Another privilege was getting to taste the cupcakes Gina made for the cast the night before, and Nini surely wasn’t going to complain about that.

“How was Lauren rehearsal?” Gina’s voice rang from the kitchen the moment Nini had stepped into the apartment, causing her lips to curve into a smile. They were doing run throughs starting Friday, so Nini was getting in as many rehearsals as possible. She had always loved Lauren as a role, but with actually getting to play her now, Nini had fallen even more in love with it, and the whole show in itself.

“Pretty great. Almost dropped the apple twice, but other than that it was good,” Nini called as she slipped out of her jacket and shoes, before heading into the kitchen.

The whole room already smelled of food, and Nini could feel her stomach growling.

“Almost done,” Gina chuckled, as she watched the other woman jump onto one of the empty counters, legs dangling over the edge.

“Sorry, it just smells really good,” Nini replied, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“No need to apologize. I’m glad my food excites you,” Gina turned to pull two plates from the cupboard, and Nini briefly thought that she looked at home already. Like the two of them had been living together for years and hadn’t just reunited last week.

“By the way: EJ and Ricky invited us over for dinner tomorrow. To see us off, also for me to give Ricky the key to this place so someone can water our plants.” Her stomach dropped slightly at the slip up there, and Nini watched the other woman for a moment, but Gina didn’t seem to mind, or maybe she hadn’t paid enough attention to notice the mistake. “EJ asked if you could make dessert, but I told him that wasn’t how things worked when you invited someone for dinner,”

Gina let out a laugh as she swirled the pasta in the pot, glancing back at Nini. “I’ll make something. I’ve only got rehearsal until 1, so I can get everything I need after that.”

She rummaged around the kitchen for a little while longer, giving Nini a smile whenever she looked at her. “It’s one of my tricks, making people like me because of my awesome food. And it’s actually a trick that makes people happy. You know, as opposed to _the disappearing Gina_ ,”

Nini nodded, jumping off the counter to set the table with the two plates Gina had pulled from the cupboard. “Yeah, as impressive that trick is, please don’t do it again?”

Their eyes met across the room for a moment, and then Gina smiled. “Well you’re stuck with me for at least a year now, so no need to worry about that,”

Nini, who had stopped in the doorway, plates still in hand, turned around and returned the smile.

-

Ricky had cooked, EJ had gotten a bottle of wine, and Gina had made a special edition of her famous cupcakes, with everyone’s favorite flavors. Nini had mostly brought herself, and the keys to her flat, but she had promised to help Ricky clean up while Gina and EJ set the table with more wine and the cupcakes.

Placing the plates she was carrying in the dishwasher, Nini glanced up at her best friend, lips curved into a smile. “Thanks for taking care of my plants, by the way. I really appreciate it.” She then told him, “And honestly: If you ever want to get out of here, because EJ’s hard to deal with, you’re welcome to stay at my place,”

A small chuckle fell from Ricky’s lips as he packed the dish washer with the rest of their plates, glasses and cutlery. “Thanks for the offer, but if we want to avoid each other this apartment works just fine. When I first moved in here, I legit thought I was going to get lost.” He then replied, and Nini nodded.

Part of her wondered if that was the reason EJ had asked the other man to move in. It was a huge place, and maybe he felt lonely at times. Surely, he could have gotten a roommate anywhere, but maybe that was beside the point.

“Guys? You better get back in here, or EJ might eat all of the cupcakes I brought.” Gina then yelled from the dining room, and Nini laughed again.

“I wouldn’t take any chances,” Ricky joined in with a chuckle, as he closed the dishwasher, “Come on, let’s go.”

-

They had stayed for way longer than anticipated, and it was past midnight when they returned to the apartment eventually. They’d have to be back at rehearsal at 8 for their first run through, which would be a disaster if they didn’t get enough sleep. Still, Nini couldn’t quite bring herself to care as much as she probably should have. Not when Gina dropped down onto the couch, kicking off her shoes, and suggested they’d watch and episode of friends before going to sleep.

“Don’t you think that would be super fun?” She eventually spoke, once Nini had settled down next to her, draping a blanket over the both of them.

“What?”

“Living like that, I mean.” She nodded at the TV. “The two of us together in an apartment. Ricky and EJ on the same floor, just opposite us. Ashlyn and Big Red come to visit every now and then.”

Nini’s heart missed a beat, as she tried her best to keep her eyes glued to the TV screen, so Gina wouldn’t see that she was blushing just the tiniest bit. “EJ would constantly occupy our kitchen, looking for food.” She eventually nodded with a smile.

“You’d be the super successful Broadway actress who’s writing her own show to star in, while I’d be the slightly chaotic actress who goes from show to show until she finds her calling,” Gina returned, and Nini could feel herself blushing fully now.

“Stop it. If anyone’s going to be successful from the beginning, it’s you. You’ve always been a triple threat. I mean you should have seen me in my first-year dance class, it was a disaster,” Nini chuckled, breath hitching in her throat ever so slightly as she felt Gina lean in a little closer. She could feel the other woman’s shoulder pressed against her own, warmth seeping through the shirts they were wearing.

“Let’s settle on both of us being great, right? Because I have a feeling this discussion could go on until the morning, and then we’re both either falling over a prop, or getting kicked off the production for falling asleep in an important number,” Gina chuckled, though Nini noticed how she didn’t move away for the rest of the episode, and instead stayed snuggled up close.

Nini didn’t complain.

-

The first run through was a bit of a disaster, but that had been expected. It was always hard putting scenes you had rehearsed individually together to form a show. Gina forgot the ring she was supposed to give back to Charlie, Nini dropped her apple, their Lola was missing props left and right for some reason, and during _Charlie’s Soliloquy_ the fabric wasn’t just dropped off the table, but off the entire levitated part of the stage and 15 feet onto the floor.

“Well that was…something,” Nini sighed, though it was followed by a laugh. She had been in enough productions to know that nothing ever went completely smoothly, and it was somewhat comforting to know that it didn’t change when you got to Broadway.

“I mean, no one got hurt, and no one set the place on fire. I’d say that’s a success,” Gina replied with a chuckle.

The very first production they had ever done together in High School had been plagued by disaster, and it had turned out just fine in the end, so Gina was probably right. They’d be alright in the end and thinking about it now, Nini had a feeling that this was going to end up being the best year of her life.

Watching Gina scroll through her phone as they walked down the street, Nini was already planning what to have for dinner, when she was suddenly grabbed by the arm, and met with an excited expression on Gina’s face.

“There’s last minute tickets for Wicked, half priced.” She claimed, “For tonight. Do you wanna go?”

Even if Nini hadn’t wanted to go, her resistance would have crumbled under Gina’s smile and the excitement she was radiating.

“Yeah, sure. Who would say no to a Broadway classic?” She smiled, feeling her stomach flutter ever so slightly as Gina went on to type into her phone. She had seen Wicked a couple of times, but it was one of her favorites, so she wasn’t going to say no to seeing it again, especially not with the other woman.

The only problem was: Nini had forgotten just how emotional the show made her. Both in a good, and bad, way. She was mouthing along to the lyrics, wriggling around in her seat during Emerald City, but then came Defying Gravity.

It had always been an emotional song to her, something she had sang along to alone in her bedroom, and she had cried the first time she had seen it on stage. Nothing seemed to have changed, though.

_Well, are you coming?_

Nini could feel her eyes welling up with tears, when she suddenly felt a hand brush against hers. Glancing down she saw Gina’s fingers, trembling ever so slightly, and when she looked at the other woman, she could tell Gina was crying, too.

_I hope you're happy_ _  
Now that your choosing this_

Without thinking about it, Nini intertwined their fingers and squeezed, causing Gina to turn her attention away from the stage. Their eyes met, and Gina’s lips curved into a smile that reached her eyes, as she squeezed back.

_I really hope you get it_

_And you don't live to regret it_

_I hope you're happy in the end_

They almost missed Elphaba’s big moment then, but Nini eventually tore her eyes away from Gina, trying to ignore the way her heart missed another beat. She hadn’t held hands with anyone in a while. She had dated during her first year of college, but the more intense classes had gotten, the more she had focused on that, and her relationship had eventually ended. Sometimes she missed being with someone but looking back now it had been right to focus on herself for a while. She had gone on dates, of course, but nothing had ever come of it, and now that she had landed the tour, part of her was glad that she wasn’t in a relationship, and that there wasn’t someone she had to leave behind.

Focusing back on what was happening stage, Nini eventually realized that Gina hadn’t let go of her hand yet, and it seemed like she wasn’t planning to either.

So Nini didn’t let go, because friends could hold hands, right? Especially during emotional moments.

_Yeah, absolutely._ She then decided, before her brain could come up with a counter argument.


End file.
